Halloween Hauntings
by Blade of Justice
Summary: Zawame City is being haunted... by an Armored Rider! Still getting over the loss of his friends, it being the first Halloween without them certainly not helping, Mitsuzane sets out to put a stop to this mysterious enemy threatening his home, but what comes from it all is something no one expected. Trick or Treat!


It had been a fairly average October in Zawame City. Crisp, but not freezing. The sun had been shining despite the lower temperatures, and the people around town were all starting to get into the holiday spirit... be it whatever holiday people wanted to get into. Some were already thinking about Christmas, but most, particularly the younger people of the city, had their minds on Halloween, though many more than normal seemed drawn to that particular holiday this year — and this was not without reason.

During the day, Mitsuzane would normally find himself without much complaint. As the end of the year drew closer and closer, he knew he would grow more and more nostalgic — his brother had asked him on more than one occasion if a change of scenery, a vacation, would be in order. There had been a time when Mitsuzane would have given anything for his brother to ask him that, but now, he just wanted to spend his days close to the places that let him remember. His days were becoming more and more about reminiscence, it seemed, at least when he wasn't with the other Beat Riders — he hadn't slipped that far away again. However, during the night, the people of Zawame City were rapidly coming to find they had much more to deal with than the holiday blues.

For while things were average during the day... during the night, well, that was becoming something of another story — the story of the mysterious Armored Rider that citizens of the city were taking to call the Haunter, or Haunt depending on who was asked, to be exact. If such a being could be _called_ an Armored Rider. No one familiar enough with Armored Riders had been close enough to it yet to be able to say for sure. Armored Rider and Beat Rider alike had investigated and patrolled, but it was all to no avail.

None of the Armored Riders who had battled against the Inves had ever encountered this strange being. The stories had been escalating with each passing night — yet somehow, they still had yet to encounter it themselves. The things they heard as they questioned the citizens continued to escalate, and while its crimes changed and grew more mysterious with each passing of the setting sun, the appearance was the one constant. A fiend in black and purple would would crawl out of the depths of hell itself, before calling down its glowing orange armor, causing havoc and terrorizing all who came near.

The havoc and terrorizing seemed to change specifics from night to night, and no one could get a straight story out of the supposed "victims," but it didn't matter in the end — the Armored Riders couldn't let this go. Even though the worst it had done that anyone could prove was some minor property damage and cause a few scares, that didn't mean it would stay a mere pest for long.

It had to be stopped. They couldn't not stop it.

Not after everything they had already fought for.

Not after everything they had already given up.

... Of course, in actuality, there were really only two Armored Riders left in Zawame after all of the lock seeds had been destroyed, and much as Mitsuzane had come to recognize Jounouchi's growth, his belt was still that of a simple Kurogane Trooper. This meant that, while he appreciated their support, as eager as his friends and even family were to apprehend this... whatever it was, if it really was an Armored Rider stalking the streets at night, then it might be up to Mitsuzane to protect his city.

If even he was enough for whatever it was that they were dealing with, that is. He couldn't exactly put down the Kurokage Trooper belt too much — he really wasn't worth all that much himself either if he was honest. As wonderful as it had been to see Kouta again... he hadn't even been able to stop that other Armored Rider without a certain kind of interference from above.

The youth sighed. Would he always be in someone's shadow?

Well... Not tonight, he wouldn't be. It was already getting too dark for shadows.

"It's kind of funny. This is almost like the setup for a horror movie." The Kureshima heir laughed, or maybe he simply forced a laugh, as he peered down the street. Decorations were out in full swing and while it wasn't exactly deserted, it certainly wasn't busy either, though considering the Inves attacks had never really hurt business back when they were frequent, Mitsuzane suspected that he was just "lucky" tonight. He wore a grim smile as he started down the sidewalk. "It's just as well. Team Gaim isn't having their Halloween party for the first time in years... I'm happier keeping things safe like this than being left to wonder about things tonight."

He wondered if he really felt that way.

Was he really happier facing the chilly evening all by himself, looking for a phantom Armored Rider that might not even arrive than he would be if he maybe...?

He found himself unwillingly recalling this night, just one year prior. They had just been getting used to things. It all still felt like a game — as far as they knew back then, all the Armored Rider stuff still _was_ a game. Lock seeds were still things to collect and play with... kind of like Halloween candy, in a way. The party that Mai put together every year had, of course, been a stunning success — because everything Mai did was stunning, in Mitsuzane's opinion — everyone had dressed up and had a blast of a time. They danced, they ate, and they just... _lived_.

When was the last time Mitsuzane had really felt like that?

Thinking back like this...

Maybe part of him still...

Mitsuzane shook his head. Now he was just being ridiculous — had he been living back then, or had he been blinding himself? he knew better — and he was wasting time to boot. Holding his one lock seed tightly, he set out on patrol and he steeled himself for the worst — or maybe the best. He knew he wasn't the only one out tonight, but he had to be the one to find them... this "Haunt" or "Haunter" or "Honker" or whatever it was. The others probably had better things to do anyway, and he had even insisted they leave this to him, but they wouldn't relent. If nothing else, he could probably at least save the night for them — assuming things went well.

Which they very well might not.

If nothing else, whatever would come out of this, one thing was decided from the start.

He could do this without Kouta's help. He had to.

If Kouta had to butt in every single time they faced even strange dangers like this — dangers that might not even _exist_ as far as Mitsuzane knew...

Would his sacrifice have meant anything at all?

What if Kouta didn't even have the power to do it again?

If Mitsuzane wasn't good enough still... Wouldn't that mean...

The young man shook his head, not allowing such thoughts to get to him. He couldn't think like that. Whatever was the cause of these supposed Armored Rider sightings, whatever this so-called Haunter was, he would put a stop to it — at the very least, he could find out what its true identity was.

Maybe it could even be reasoned with. In all fairness, some of the "havoc" it had caused seemed fairly juvenile from the reports Mitsuzane had actually heard firsthand, rather than after extensive games of telephone...

The young man blinked a few times, shielding himself from the automatic street lights turning on all around him, as he continued to recall those conversations. Normally it was something he wouldn't think twice about, even when it took him off guard like this, but tonight... It made him think. Those stories all _did_ have one thing in common, now that he thought about it, and strangely enough...

"Huh... That's right. Didn't they start out just as it got dark enough for this to happen?"

He didn't have more time to think on the strangeness of the situation, nor did he have time to think about how it was just about the same time now that it had been in the stories...

At that exact moment, a haunting melody echoed throughout the city. It sounded gleeful, dark, taunting, and twisted all at once — fitting for such a holiday... but the melody wasn't what was concerning about it. Mitsuzane's eyes widened as he heard it, not for the strangeness of the tune, but because it was the sort of tune with origins that were unmistakable to him.

It was the noise of an Armored Rider's transformation. It wasn't one he had ever heard before, but he wouldn't confuse that type of sound for anything.

"That's coming from... Bandou's!"

Adrenaline filled his veins. He had pictured the worst and best outcomes when he set out tonight — was the worst happening before he even had a chance to act?!

Lock seed in hand, ready to transform in a moment's notice, his legs were moving faster than his mind. He didn't question the strange nature of the transformation call he had heard or that it was unlike any lock seed's he'd ever heard before. All he could focus on was that wherever this was coming from, there was going to be someone in trouble, and he would never forgive himself if he wasn't there to at least try to stop it from happening. He didn't even think it strange that he didn't think "Kouta won't forgive me" this time — for Mitsuzane was growing past that, at long last, even if he himself wouldn't allow himself the credit of doing so.

To his surprise, he wasn't the first one on the scene. In fact, it appeared as though _everyone_ was either on the scene on already arriving by the time Mitsuzane arrived. Luckily, he hadn't been far, but that gave him no comfort when he knew that even a second could mean the difference between life and death. It seemed as though

Just as the rumors had said, there was a being crawling out of the ground... in addition to something else coming out of the sky above it — that had been left out of the rumors, but in hindsight, it should have been obvious that that would happen. From the ground, a knightly-looking being, like it came from a Western fairy tale, had made its entrance. Armor of black and purple highlights decorated the fiend, a Sengoku Driver on its torso confirming what all present feared most. It seemed to care as little for those surrounding it as one would a group of flies. As for above?

An over-sized, menacing, glowing pumpkin floated in the air, waiting to descend.

That didn't matter right now, though. What mattered right now was that their enemy was already in mid-transformation. They would have to rip the thing's lock seed away if they wanted to find out who — or what — it was that was trespassing in their beloved city and causing mayhem.

Mitsuzane approached. Maybe he could still stop this before it was too late.

"Listen, I don't know who you are, but..."

_"**PUMPKIN ARMS! _**TRICK~OR~TREAT~**__**TRICK~OR~TREAT~**_HA HA**_**_ HA HA HA!_**_"_

The fiend didn't give him a chance to finish.

Mitsuzane's eyes narrowed. If that was the case, then _he_ wouldn't give this monster a chance to finish either! Not even bothering to transform, despite how he could have done so in a second — but that second would have been a second he could have used doing something else — Mitsuzane took action.

What followed next was a series of events that Mitsuzane could only describe as amazing. It was a moment that he would remember for the rest of his life.

Everyone present had witnessed tragedy come to Zawame City before.

Everyone present had lost someone to that tragedy.

Everyone present knew what was at stake here.

And so _everyone present_, as one force, leaped towards the unknown Armored Rider — everyone, as one united force for protecting their home, aiming for the lock seed.

No one expected this — the Armored Rider certainly couldn't have. There was a scuffle, and in the back of his mind, Mitsuzane vaguely remembered realizing there were more hands than there should be — maybe like a horror movie after all? He didn't focus on this, of course, because there was an Armored Rider to stop, and he was going to do his damnedest to stop it.

No one was sure how it happened. At some point, the crowd had started falling away from the "Haunt"... except it only happened after their victory.

It was not an Armored Rider that saved Zawame City.

This Halloween, it was Zawame City that saved Zawame City.

The lock seed finally fell away from the mysterious Armored Rider. It clattered to the ground, more than likely broken — no longer a problem. Their main problem was the person underneath, and that would no longer be a problem in just a few moments once their armor vanished.

Now they would know the identity of this strange being that had been terrorizing Zawame City for sure...

... except as the Armored Rider's armor faded away...

... there was still a pumpkin where the person's head should have been.

The group of humans exchanged looks, unsure of what to do. Was this a prank? A new villain? Or were they actually wearing a mask under their armor to protect their identity?

These questions did not receive the answers they were expecting.

The pumpkin started to laugh... before the carved out smile of the pumpkin widened.

"Happy Halloween, Zawame City! Play nice, or I'll be _back_ next year! _Kyahahahahahaha!_"

The warrior promptly burst into flames, cackling until the last ash faded away, never to be heard from again.

After the initial screams from those surprised by such an exit... There was silence. The unlikely group hadn't expected to be seeing each other tonight — and they certainly hadn't expected... _that_. They had not had plans, nor had they expected to meet while seeking out the monster in question. They had been sure that all they would just do what was right, for the sake of those that couldn't be here with them now, and that had been all on their minds from the night's onset.

"Well... Since everybody's all together, how about some pumpkin juice? My treat. You all earned it."

It was Bandou, naturally, who had suggested it. Mitsuzane wasn't sure when the man had come outside, or if he had been outside all along — he had been thinking more along the lines of fellow Armored Riders, even former ones, when he had noted "everyone" was here, but now that he got a good look around him...

"W-What's going on?" He couldn't help but ask. It wasn't just Armored Riders. All the Beat Riders were here too. It was like the monster had somehow drawn them all together — everyone he had ever known since joining Team Gaim... It was mystifying. Hesitantly, Mitsuzane looked to the nearest one of them — a former Team Raid Wild member if he remembered correctly. "Were you all looking for that thing as well...? But you... You must have realized..."

Seemingly from out of nowhere, almost like a phantom himself, Zack appeared from behind Mitsuzane's left and draped an arm around his shoulder. Mitsuzane jumped, looking cornered for a moment, but the friendly Armored Rider paid the reaction no mind and simply nodded to other familiar faces in the crowd — Peko, Rat, Chucky, and more were among them.

"It doesn't matter if we can't fight. This is our city. We're not going to let some deranged Trick-or-Treater mess with it, now are we?" It was clear from the looks of those all around that the sentiment was shared with everyone present — from Beat Rider to ex-Yggdrasil big shot to soldier-turned-baker and beyond. Mitsuzane realized that he probably was wearing a look just like theirs on his face.

"Yeah... You're right..." The young Armored Rider nodded slowly, a smile spreading across his lips. He had started out the evening feeling nostalgic, lonesome even, but how could he feel that way now? He looked around him, and everywhere he turned "W-Well... Come on, everyone! What are you waiting for? He'll decide to start charging for that pumpkin juice if we don't start drinking it all up soon!"

Many erupted into wide smiles at Mitsuzane's words. Brother, comrade, friend, it was all the same feeling they shared.

They had fought off the trick, and now?

_Micchy_ finally coming back to them was their treat.

* * *

><p>The small, almost impossible to notice crack that had been connected to the dark sidewalk in Zawame City quietly zipped shut, just as the strange black and orange lock seed slipped through. It landed gently into the outstretched hand of a woman, who seemed to have been expecting the arrival of the lock seed. Her eyes sparkled at the lock seed, recalling what she had seen happen to it as she had peeked through the crack. She already knew that she had accomplished what she had set out to do.<p>

Mission accomplished, it seemed.

The Woman of the Beginning smiled fondly at it, but it was not a smile without its share of sadness behind it. Perhaps that smile was filled more with that than anything else. From behind her, the Man of the Beginning uncrossed arms that seemed as though they had been that way for days to place a comforting hand on her shoulder. His face was solemn — understanding, empathetic.

"I know you want to be there and have the party with them, Mai, but..."

"I know, Kouta. I know. A prank like this is all I can do to try to bring them together again now..."

The Man of the Beginning offered her a smile.

"And you did it. You did it _amazingly_. You know what else? Maybe we can't be with them now, but they're with each other thanks to you. In that way, aren't you still with them, Mai?"

The woman beside him considered his words, before nodding, her smile brightening somewhat as she looked him in the eye.

"I... suppose. Thanks... Happy Halloween, Kouta. Just because we're all alone together here doesn't mean we have to be lonely together too. That doesn't even make sense, does it?"

A chuckle escaped his lips. He opened his mouth to respond, maybe to suggest some kind of silly two person festivity for them to take part in, when...

"Hah! How preposterous. As if I would ever allow the two of you to get away with being alone on the day of the dead. You should know better."

The two — the Man of the Beginning and the Woman of the Beginning, together both the truth identity of the phantom "Haunter" that had been playing pranks in Zawame City for days — spun around, eyes wide and mouths agape.

"What? You didn't think fakers like you could be visited by the real thing?"

For there, standing behind them and smirking as proudly as ever, taking clear delight in having caught even godly beings like them off guard like this... was none other than the ghost of Kaito Kumon.

"Kaito!?"

"Kaito... Is it really...?"

It was as if they'd seen a ghost.

There was really only one thing he _could_ say to them, looking like that, now wasn't there?

"Trick or Treat."


End file.
